Mrs. Jane Gitter, Director, Violin/Viola Instructor
Mrs. Gitter has over 30 years of experience as an educator and performer in the US and Canada. This is her ninth summer at Tizmoret Shoshana, and her fifth as Director. (Good luck getting anything past her at camp!) If she ever has spare time at camp (ha!), you will find her kayaking with a good book in hand that she will endeavour to not drop into the lake, although this has yet to happen due to aforementioned lack of time. It’s also possible that she will be hiding in her cabin with some good chocolate… which she might even share! Mrs. Gitter has also been dubbed the Squasher of Things, which basically means that someone has to maintain some semblance of order at camp and this task apparently falls to her.

Dr. Ben Gitter, Director, Cello and Guitar Instructor
Dr. Gitter has too many music degrees, and also too many years of experience doing a variety of things ranging from coordinating logistics at camp and teaching music to selling houses and chasing bears from dumpsters to rivers (yes, that is oddly specific). If there’s a ball and bat around, you may find Dr. Gitter reliving his days as a Softball Ontario umpire, even though his wife finally made him give away his (unused in over a decade) equipment. Dr.Gitter is also our dedicated eruv checker, wildlife reporter, occasional chef, and erstwhile plumber. He looks forward to sharing the joys of music theory with campers and staff this summer.

Mrs. Sara Brown, Shiur Head and Fine Art Instructor (second half)
Mrs. Brown returns for a fifth year as shiur head, and joins the arts staff as second half Fine Art instructor, teaching in the atelier tradition of art realism. Mrs. Brown (BA Humanities) teaches Navi, humanities, and art in Maayan Torah Day School in Portland, Oregon, where her husband (also a rebbi) learns in the kollel and her children frolic in waterfalls. A former professional editor and a twelve-year classroom teaching veteran, Mrs.Brown now coaches teachers as her creative “major”. She claims that the Portland community is like year-round Tizmoret, and invites you to visit.

Mrs. Karen Cohen, Flute Instructor, Crochet Instructor, & Doer of All Things
Mrs.Cohen, aka the Doer of All Things, is an accomplished flutist who doubles as an equally accomplished organizer of nearly everything Tizmoret-related. Can’t find her at camp? Chances are good that she’s gone off to Walmart with lists of items for at least six different people. In her mostly non-existent spare time, she enjoys random conversations, and wrangling Mrs. Gitter into admitting that she does indeed need assistance with various camp tasks.

Mrs. Rachel Covitch, Vocal Music Instructor (second half)
Mrs. Rachel Covitch has been a voice instructor for the past 20 years, including 4 past years at Tizmoret, and she is very excited to be back for summer 2026! She has a degree in Vocal Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has also performed in numerous settings for women and girls in her hometown of Cleveland. During the year, she runs Shma B’kolah, a voice program for frum girls, and the Cleveland Women’s Choir. She is passionate about helping women and girls find their voices, and be able to experience the unique pleasure that is singing in harmony with others.

Ms. Breindy Dreyfuss, Arts & Crafts Instructor (second half)
Breindy has always had a love for arts and crafts; give her paper, photos, and some adhesive, and she’s basically in her happy place. As a scrapbooker, she spends her days turning memories into meaningful (and very cute) keepsakes, and she loves bringing that same creativity and energy into everything she teaches. 

After her daughter attended Tizmoret Shoshana last summer, Breindy couldn’t stop talking about how incredible it was - the creativity, the energy, the whole vibe. She was completely blown away and may or may not have wished she could sign herself up as a camper. She’s beyond excited to now be joining the staff and can’t wait to be part of such a special, inspiring, and creativity-filled summer.

Sema Edelson, Head Lifeguard
Sema Edelson (more commonly known at camp as Sema Lifeguard, as for some reason nobody seems to remember her last name) serves as the head lifeguard, in charge of all things lake--even the directors defer to her, though we don't quite know about the lake monster! During the year, Sema immerses herself in all things hair, but don't be worried that her hobbies don’t align with the same genre as her role in camp, she'll make sure that your campers have fun and stay safe in the lake.

Tova Fellheimer, Arts & Crafts Instructor
I’m so excited to be back for my second year at camp as the Arts & Crafts instructor! Art has always been a huge part of my life, and I’ve worked as both an art teacher and private art tutor, helping students build creativity and confidence through hands-on projects. I love creating a fun, welcoming space where everyone joins in on the fun and tries new things, and maybe even gets a little messy. I can’t wait for another summer full of color, creativity, and amazing projects!

Mrs. Avigayil Finkelstein, Creative Writing Instructor (first half)
Avigayil Finkelstein is pursuing her PhD in Medieval Jewish History and teaches high school Jewish Studies and history. She holds an MA in Jewish Studies and a BA in Jewish Studies and Creative Writing. In her free time, she writes short stories and shares fun facts about Hebrew grammar, to the absolute delight of her friends and family.

Mrs. Miriam Leah Gamliel, Musical Theatre Instructor
Miriam Leah loves a good show, so if you have an itch to perform, come entertain her! She will put you on stage in every way possible (even upside down if you know gymnastics!) Come sing, dance and act all at the same time - multi-tasking skills not required. Miriam Leah is over-educated, but importantly, she loves all things music and dance, whether watching, creating, directing or choreographing.  She is the director of ATARA: The Arts and Torah Association, so even after camp, she’ll find you!

Rachel Gitter, Scheduling Queen (full summer) and Creative Writing Instructor (second half)
As the Scheduling Queen, Rachel helps campers pick from the ever-growing assortment of amazing elective choices and sorts campers into the schedules of their dreams (hopefully!). As a past Tizmoret camper and current Tizmoret staff member, Rachel loves connecting with staff and campers alike and helping out wherever she can. She has yet to attach trackers to her parents, no matter how much people ask; she can help you find whatever activity you're supposed to be attending, though! This year, she’ll also be taking on the role of second half writing instructor, in which she plans to teach children all about her favourite form of poetry, the sestinelle. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys writing, singing, and obsessively refreshing her camp email in hopes of more people having filled out their forms. Her favourite punctuation mark is probably the interrobang, though she uses ellipses much more often…

Shaindy Gottheil, Fine Art Instructor (first half)
Meet Shaindy Gottheil, Fine Art Instructor at Tizmoret! With a background in fine art from Nachas Art Academy under Rebbetzin Naomi Hertzberg-Flaum, Shaindy currently teaches students of all ages at Ateres Bais Yaakov and Bnos Leah of Monsey. Shaindy believes that art is for everyone - with practice and passion, anyone can learn to create, regardless of talent or experience. As a freelance illustrator and painter, Shaindy is excited to share this love of art with the girls at Tizmoret and help them discover their own creative potential. She also looks forward to sending her campers on wild chameleon chases as part of the rigorous fine art curriculum (want to know more? Come to majors!) She does not look forward to Sockerella the sock puppet crashing every single elective she runs, but it'll probably happen anyway.

Adina Halali, Elective Instructor (first half)

Adina Halali is returning for her second summer at Tizmoret and her first foray into elective instruction. She'll be teaching a variety of cool options: STEM, makeup, sports, and shiur. Adina is a musical theatre enthusiast and award-winning poet and can't wait to have your campers in her electives!

Dr. Talia Hindin, Mental Health Professional
Talia Hindin, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who received her doctorate from Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology.  Talia has received additional training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and ACT.  She has worked with children and adolescents in both school and clinical settings, most recently having worked as the school psychologist in a yeshiva day school where she was responsible for the emotional well-being of students in grade 1-8. Talia currently lives in Israel with her family and is excited to be returning to the States for the summer to join the Tizmoret Shoshana family for yet another wonderful summer!

Rivka Katz, Head Shiur Instructor (first half) and Middle School Division Head (second half)
Rivka Katz is returning for her fifth summer at Tizmoret! This year, she will be taking on the roles of head shiur instructor and middle school division head (albeit not at the same time). Rivka is passionate about spreading Torah and looks forward to teaching this year’s campers all about her favourite topics, which may or may not include copious amounts of Rav Hirsch. In her spare time, she can be found attending music and writing electives, and you just might spot her scrubbing a dish or two as well.

Chaya Sara Kessler, Counselor and Elective Instructor
Chaya Sara is returning to Tizmoret for her third summer. In addition to her duties as a counselor, she will be taking on the role of elective instructor and teaching campers how to do cool things with textiles. In her spare time, you can find her attempting to spread the light of crochet to everyone within a ten-mile radius, playing piano, or making her own awesome Purim costumes.

Esther Gitty Kurtz, Kitchen Staff
Esther Gitty is returning to Tizmoret for her fifth summer. After a stint as the Dining Hall last year in which she took great joy in naming all the appliances and surfaces (we miss you, Counter Carol!), she'll be joining the full-fledged cooking team this year. She loves adding fun and creativity to every commonplace activity she possibly can; you might find her untangling yarn at any given moment. Don't worry, though, she won't mix up food with art supplies!

Lauren Liebert, Textile Arts Instructor
Lauren Liebert is a graduate of The Fashion Institute Of Technology of The State University Of New York with degrees in Textile Design and Textile Technology, with majors in wovens and surface design, and over the past 25+ years she has worked as a textile designer in the NYC fashion industry, a freelance textile and Judaica designer, and an art teacher in various Jewish summer camps and schools. While Lauren greatly enjoys illustration, ceramics, art glass, tabletop and other games, and all manner of crafts and music, her first and deepest love is fiber arts. The rumor that she has a ball of baby alpaca/silk blend where her heart should be is simply untrue, though she often sheds a surprising amount of wool and lint. The rumor that she has glitter in her scalp is true. Lauren lives outside Philadelphia with her husband, daughter, evil kitty, and an apartment-friendly yarn stash.

Rivkah Menachem, Kitchen Staff
Rivkah is returning this summer for her second year in the kitchen. As the Lake Monster's personal chef (though others in the kitchen might debate that), she takes great joy in ensuring that all campers receive food they can eat and enjoy. Rivkah loves gigantic stuffed animals, writing, and drawing.

Devorah Minuk, Electives Instructor
Devorah Minuk is a student at Tiferes Bais Yaakov in Toronto and is returning to Tizmoret for her third year, this time as staff! Devorah will be instructing various electives, with a focus on sewing, embroidery, and writing, which are all things she very much enjoys. If you want to find Devorah, you’ll likely find her anywhere with a sewing machine, although she can be lured out with chocolate, a good book, or large amounts of fabric.

Rina Peromsik, High School Division Head and Crochet Instructor
Rina Peromsik is a founding member of Picky Eaters Inc. and the Society for the Rights of Underused Letters. Her crocheted dragons will tell you that when she is not at Tizmoret, Rina works as an ELA teacher who delights in teaching small children words bigger than they are. She also spends time working on her Master's Degree(s) in Library Science and Children's Literature, which the dragons are pretty sure she's using as an excuse to spend all her time reading books.

Gitty Rubin, Dance Instructor
Gitty attends the Jewish Center for the Performing Arts and has received additional private training with faculty from MMDG, Covenant Ballet, and Steps on Broadway.

While Gitty has a strong background in classical ballet and contemporary/lyrical dance, she has also trained in other genres such as jazz, character, and Irish dance. She is passionate about anatomy and physiology in movement, and has earned several certifications in the subject. She is excited to join the Tizmoret staff, and hopes to teach and inspire campers with her passion for dance!

Basya Saperstein, Electives Instructor, Office, Canteen 
Basya Saperstein is returning for her fifth summer at Tizmoret Shoshana as an ASL Awareness instructor, Collab co-director, Canteen Raven (some collective nouns for ravens include: rave, unkindness, a treachery, or my personal favourite, conspiracy) and Office Minion. She is studying Speech Language Pathology and Audiological Studies at Touro University, and is never seen without her rubber chicken and some artfully placed googly eyes. She is also the honorary mayor of Albuquerque, although thankfully her duties there do not conflict with her work at Tizmoret Shoshana.

Robyn Shrater Seemann, Drama Instructor (first half)
Robyn is a playwright-performer-producer (yes, all three!) and the founder of Artists Circle, a professional performing arts company championing Jewish women artists. Her award-winning plays have been produced at Adventure Theatre MTC and the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum and she performs as a featured storyteller throughout the Greater DC arts scene.

As the host and writer of the Shattering the Single Story podcast, Robyn celebrates the humor, heart, and holy sparks of Jewish women’s lives. She also co-produces the Elevate Conference, bringing together hundreds of Jewish dancers from across the U.S. and Canada for two inspiring days of classes, performance, and community.

Robyn holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University and brings professional training in acting, playwriting, and stagecraft to her work with young performers. She loves helping girls build confidence, take creative risks, and shine on stage — and can’t wait to make some theatrical magic at camp!

Leah Spector, Vocal Music Instructor (first half)
Leah Spector is returning to Tizmoret Shoshana for her second summer. She is a recent graduate of Rutgers University, where she studied political science, communications, and theater arts. She has participated in many choirs throughout high school and college, including being the music director for her Jewish acapella group. She is very excited to be running the vocal program for first half!

Mrs. Eliana Stanfield, Head Chef
Eliana Stanfield is returning as head chef for her third summer at Tizmoret Shoshana. Though you would never know by seeing Eliana in the summer, she is an elementary school teacher for public school students in California during the rest of the year. She enjoys cooking, baking, and keeping the hungry campers and staff happy. Eliana is excited to bring her 2 little children with her, who she says will entertain all the bored wildlife that wander into camp.

Mrs. Rivki Steiner, Piano, Guitar and Drama Instructor
Rivki Steiner has been playing piano ever since she was a kid. Having minored in music at Stern College for Women and attended the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, Rivki puts her love of music to use as a music teacher in a local school in her current hometown of Passaic, NJ. She also gives private lessons in piano and guitar in between spending time with her husband and 4 daughters. Rivki is thrilled to be spending her first summer at Tizmoret, teaching piano during both halves.  As a big fan of the stage, Rivki has also directed plays in day camps for multiple years and is excited to be teaching drama major in second half.

Mrs. Bella Weiss, Middle School Division Head (first half)
I’m so excited to be part of camp this season! When I’m not here, I run my psychotherapy practice and stay busy with my husband and two kids - trust me, you will get to know those kiddos real well! In my very unbiased opinion, they are the cutest kids alive. I absolutely love anything to do with music—dancing, singing, you name it—and if I ever get a quiet moment, you’ll probably find me watching a good comedy. I can’t wait to get to know each and every one of you and make this an amazing summer together!

Annalie Weisz, Kitchen Staff & Shiur Instructor
Annalie Weisz is returning to Tizmoret Shoshana for her third summer as kitchen staff and Shiur instructor–she’s multifaceted!:) Along with Rav Hirsch, empathy, and writing entertaining quotes on the kitchen whiteboard, Annalie hopes to bring her internalized Judaic teachings to further her already impressive cooking prowess. “Wow, she’s competent and will probably make edible food.” She also enjoys bringing out the best in her friends, allowing them to shine in their own chelek of Torah, which is why this was written by Basya Saperstein (See above. Or possibly below. “Somewhere on this page.”).

Yaelle Shira Weisz, Lifeguard & Nurse’s Assistant
Yaelle Shira (yes, she goes by both names) is debuting for her first summer as a staff member after having been a camper previously. You can find her at the nurse's office or at the lake during swimming/boating time, or you could approach her any other time about anything from geopolitics to fantasy literature to linguistics to philosophy. Just don't ask her how many enemies she’s made with her dislike of poetry (and no, Rachel Gitter definitely didn’t write that last line, why’d you ask?).

Please note that not all staff are listed here. More bios may be added when you least expect it, so please do check back!